Chapter Twenty-five
"How dare you!"
Infuriated by Daniel's seemingly traitorous acts Anuket screamed at him. Even though she wore Sam's human face she barred her teeth at him. Daniel stared at Anuket fearlessly, unphased by her displeasure in him. She snatched her ribbon device off the table and slipped it on. Jack swore under his breath, he had slowly been trying to move towards the device to get it first.
Anuket caught Jack's motion out of the corner of her eye. Without any visible effort she sent a pulse from the hand device and slammed him back first into the stone wall. Daniel watched passively as Jack tried to regain his senses after the blow. Sam herself was slow getting to her paws after the kick to the jaw she'd received. Anuket stepped up close enough to Daniel touch him.
"Move aside, do not interfere."
"As you wish."
Daniel graced Anuket with a shallow bow and moved a few steps to the right. Sam had managed to get to her feet and was backed against the wall with her fur on end and her teeth showing. She was bunching up her muscles to lunge at Anuket when the Goa'uld bathed her in the ribbon devices agonizing glow.
Although he did nothing to prevent Anuket's approach Daniel now reacted with the full force of his newly granted speed and strength. Grabbing the thin golden chain he and Sam still wore he flicked his wrist so that a loop of it fell over Anuket's head. With a simple motion he jerked Anuket back and off her feet.
Screaming in pure rage Anuket twisted around and jumped back to her feet. Rushing up to Daniel she slapped him with her clawed hand hard enough to make him stumble back a step. Four bright red gashed had been raked into his cheek. Anuket's aqua eyes flashed a luminescent white in her anger. Daniel stood his ground without a trace of fear or even defiance.
"You dare disobey me, Slave?!"
"Never, my Goddess." Daniel replied without any trouble from the scarab. "You instructed me to never allow anything to harm or even so much as touch Samantha. Even if defending her cost me my life."
"She is not the creature I thought she was and I wish her dead."
"I can not allow that."
"I am giving you new orders to kill her!"
"I can not. Your orders were to never allow anything to harm her. That will forever include yourself."
"Worthless creature!"
Anuket raised her ribbon device to try and bring Daniel back under her control or failing that to simply kill him. Even though he had plenty of time to stop her Daniel did nothing. Luckily Sam was more than willing to defend him. She jumped up and sunk her teeth into Anuket's upper arm.
A pure human would have been brought to their knees by the attack. Anuket however managed to free herself from Sam's jaws. When she turned to send a shock wave from the hand device at her attacker Daniel lashed out and captured her wrist. The misdirected blow shattered the headboard on the bed into thousands of splinters.
Bleeding heavily from Sam's bite and nearly frothing with rage Anuket abandoned the hand device so that she could morph into her full Wulf form. As soon as Daniel had determined her to no longer be a threat to Sam he had released the Goa'uld. Anuket now threw herself at him with intent to kill.
Sam managed to clamp down on Anuket's tail. The Goa'ulds snapped at the air just inches from Daniel's throat. Anuket not only managed to remove her tail from Sam's sharp teeth but she also landed another good kick into her chest that knocked the breath out of her.
Once again Daniel stayed motionless until Anuket had turned on Sam. He grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her away from her prey. Once he was sure that she was a safe distance from Sam he released her. Free from her powerful slave Anuket attempted once again to kill him. This time when Sam when to save him Daniel acted to protect Anuket.
Sam was already set in her course of action was unable to stop herself in time when Daniel pulled Anuket out of the way. She ended up with her teeth in his thigh. She quickly released him and tried to bark an apology. Daniel seemed unaware of his injury and simply reached down to stop Anuket from getting a hold of Sam.
Caught between an enemy and a hard case Anuket barked and cried in frustration. Sam tried to capitalize on this. She circled around behind and went for her again. Without hesitation Daniel whipped around threw his forearm into Sam's path. Daniel's speed was still astonishing and he ended up in Sam's powerful bite. Thinking she had Anuket Sam actually shook her head to do more damage before she realized that she had the wrong person in her jaws.
Daniel wasn't about to hurt Sam, but at the same time he wasn't going to let her kill Anuket either. They found themselves in an usual stalemate with Daniel acting as the referee. Anuket started to calm herself so that Daniel would release her.
"Damn it, Daniel!" Jack suddenly roared as he finally came around. "You have got to pick and side and it had better be ours!"
Daniel turned his attention towards Jack's angry voice. Anuket took the opportunity to wriggle her way out of Daniel's arms. Snatching up the ribbon device in her mouth Anuket bolted from the room. Sam took off after her and the moment she was ten feet from Daniel the chain pulled tight and yanked her back.
Jack had just gotten to his feet and rushed over to help Sam. She was gasping for breath after the painful encounter with the choke chain. Daniel had already been on his knees when it happened and didn't seem affected by the sudden constriction. Jack leaned down to touch Sam and she barked and backed away. Sure enough Daniel was on Jack in a flash to make sure no harm came to Sam.
"For crying out loud, Daniel, I am not going to hurt her!" Jack snarled. "Snap out of it!"
"I don't understand what you mean."
Taking a deep breath to rein in his anger Jack took a fraction of a second to study his friend. Blood streaked Daniel's face and dripped off his jaw from the four marks in his cheek. Both his leg and his forearm were a bloodied mess from where Sam had torn at his flesh. However Daniel's expression showed no concern for these painful injuries.
His blue eyes stared right through Jack with no recognition. Jack sighed heavily, his friend simply wasn't home. Sam whimpered to get his attention. He looked down at her and she danced back and forth nervously. Jack furrowed his brow.
"Daniel…where's Dan'yel and Jackson?"
"I don't know."
"Carter, find them."
Sam nodded and put her nose down to the marble floor. It wasn't an easy environment to track a scent, but she could faintly detect it. Out in the hallway Jack quickly noticed that the dead Jaffa that had been standing guard didn't have a staff weapon.
"Carter, make it snappy I think our young friend is about to follow in his father's footsteps and get himself into trouble."
Redoubling her efforts Sam kept her nose glued to the stone. Daniel hadn't been trying to stop her from leaving the room last time, he just hadn't realized in time that she had taken off at a run. His throat was a bright red from the choke chain but he made no atempt to rub at it. He simply followed behind Sam as faithfully as any dog.
"Okay, we need to find a way to get Anuket under control without actually killing her." Jack talked to himself as they followed Dan'yel's trail.
"You look younger than I remember." Daniel stated matter of factly.
"Yeah, well, that's partly Anuket's fault and partly yours." Jack grumbled as he looked down at his hands. "She seems to have more than one setting on her little healing microwave. Thankfully she didn't scramble my brains the way she's done with you."
"That's because it is your fire that she is attracted to."
"Great."
Sam gave the pair a low growl to bring their attention to the matters at hand. She had lead them down to the doors of the main chamber. Jack was surprised to find that the guards had been torn to shreds by someone with teeth.
"Anuket must be going crazy."
Sam shook her head.
"No way, Carter, there is no way Jackson did this."
"Jackson has orders to defend Dan'yel at all costs." Daniel said unemotionally.
"Who gave him those orders?"
"I did."
"Why?"
"I don't remember."
"I'll tell you: it's because no matter what Anuket has done to you Dan'yel is still your son and something stronger than even instinct drives you to protect him. You love him."
"I don't love anyone."
"Then you'd better just kill me now before I get a chance to harm your precious Anuket. Because if push comes to shove I am going to kill her."
Daniel furrowed his brow. Jack wanted to continue this conversation because he could see a spark of his old friend surfacing. However Sam knew that they didn't have time for this right now. She scratched at the huge double doors and Daniel automatically reached out and opened them for her.
There were more dead Jaffa inside the grand chamber. Blast marks from staff weapons marred the marble columns, but the fight seemed to be over now. In fact the room was frighteningly quiet. Spying a zat gun on one of the dead Jaffa Jack went to retrieve it. He quickly found Daniel's hand on his wrist with a powerful grip.
"Da…"
"You may not have a weapon." Daniel hissed.
"Why not?"
"You may hurt Samantha or Anuket with it."
"Oh for cry…fine, why don't you take it then?"
"I do not have use for a weapon."
"You could defend Carter with it."
Daniel thought this over for a moment and then nodded. He reached down and picked up the stunning weapon and tucked it into his waist band. Sam started pulling on the chain they wore to guide them off to the right of the massive dais. There was an archway on the far wall that she lead them to. Jack suddenly heard the low dangerous growl of a pair of angry Wulves.
"I still don't know how it works!" Dan'yel cried desperately.
Sam hauled Daniel through the archway and Jack rushed after them. Anuket and Jackson were squaring off with one another in typical canine fashion. Facing one another with their hackles raised they slowly circled one another, waiting for the best place to strike.
Jackson was drooling blood, although it was hard to tell if it was his own. He was trembling slightly, but he still looked like he had a lot of fight left in him. Dan'yel had the dead Jaffa's staff weapon pointed at the large Sarcophagus that dominated the center of the room. He had managed to arm it, but he couldn't quite figure out how to fire it.
Wasting no time Sam's claws clattered across the highly polished floor as she made a mad dash for Anuket. Realizing that she was on the attack again Daniel grabbed the chain to keep her from her prey.
Sam snapped impotently at the air a few feet away from Anuket. Startled by the noise Anuket turned to look at the intruders. She had kept one paw human enough to wear the ribbon device this time and she automatically raised it to throw the new comers back. Jackson saw his opening and launched himself at the Goa'uld's throat.
"Anuket!"
"Daniel!"
There was a deafening sizzle in the air as the surprised Dan'yel suddenly managed to fire the alien weapon in his hands. Having take a direct hit the Sarcophagus sparked and crackled angrily.
Jackson had landed on Anuket before she could act and latched down on her throat. She kicked violently at the Wulf, but unlike with Sam she was unable to free herself. She couldn't risk morphing back to human because it was only the thick fur and extra skin of the Wulf that was keeping her from instant death at the moment. Daniel ran up and kicked Jackson hard in the ribs to try to get him off of Anuket. Jackson snarled through his clenched teeth, but refused to give up his prize.
Anuket had been brought to the floor but was still fighting violently for freedom. Unable to get Jackson to let go on his own Daniel switched places with him. Once in the Wulf he instantly released Anuket, and he also instantly regretted it. Although bleeding heavily she rose up into a half Wulf, half human form and roared with rage.
Still in Jackson's body Daniel backed away from her fearfully as she raised up her hand device with murderous intent. Another staff weapon blast rang out through the room over Anuket's head. She turned her attention to Dan'yel and a cruel smile spread across her face.
Dan'yel dropped the staff weapon in fear. He stumbled back, tripping and falling to the floor. Easily distracted Anuket swung her arm around to target Dan'yel. Daniel barked sharply and threw himself on top of Dan'yel to shield him from the ribbon devices powerful pulse.
Daniel weld his golden eyes shut in anticipation, not knowing if he could truly protect Dan'yel from the Goa'uld's wrath. It took him a moment to realize that nothing was happening. Cautiously opening one eye Daniel came muzzle to muzzle with Anuket who was laying on the floor in front of him.
Confused Daniel looked up and found Jack standing with a zat gun in his hand. The few seconds worth of distraction had been enough for Jack to take the zat from its place in Jackson's waist band. Thrown into Daniel's unbalanced body Jackson was shaking violently. He sat down, put his head in his hand, and cried.
Standing up Daniel tucked his tail under his belly and howled in horror. No longer under the spell of the chemicals and hormones racing around in his human blood Daniel was suddenly fully aware of everything he had done.
"Easy, Daniel, it's alright." Jack said softly. "You know we forgive you."
Daniel didn't looked comforted. He turned to Dan'yel who had backed away until he had run into the broken Sarcophagus. Still sitting on the floor he looked like he was going to be sick. With his ears down Daniel tried to approach him. Dan'yel pressed himself against the Sarcophagus harder. He looked over to where Jackson in Daniel's body was weeping like a child and was brought to tears himself.
"I'm sorry…I…I didn't know any other way to get Daniel back."
"You did good, Kid." Jack smiled. "And I think your father agrees."
Daniel leaned forward and licked Dan'yel's cheek. Dan'yel looked at Daniel like he was seeing him for the first time. He searched the Wulf's eyes and could suddenly see the soul behind them.
"Daniel?"
Daniel nodded and licked Dan'yel's cheek again.
"This is all my fault, I'm sorry, I lured you here…Shyla isn't here, she never was…my…my mother is dead. I…I should have given you a cha…"
Shaking his head sadly Daniel stopped his son's confession by reaching out with his paw and pulling him into an awkward hug. After a moments hesitation Dan'yel threw his arms around Daniel's neck and nuzzled into his soft fur. Closing his eyes Daniel took a deep breath.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness."
"Of course you do, Dan'yel." Jack said softly. "You're family."
Dan'yel looked to his father who nodded and wagged his tail. Still chained to Daniel's body Sam stepped up to Jackson and nudged him. He wailed in misery and curled up tighter. Daniel whimpered and looked up at Jack.
"I know, it's not going to be easy." Jack said sympathetically. "Don't worry, you'll be good hands."
Daniel looked at Dan'yel and whimpered again. He got up and walked over to Jack. Sitting down in front of him Daniel put his paw up on Jack's leg. He stared up at his friend desperately.
"Don't worry about that Daniel." Jack forced a smile. "No matter what happens Dan'yel has a good home for life."
Daniel nodded and lifted his paw up for Jack to shake.
"No way, Daniel. I'm not about to say 'good-bye'."
Shaking his head sadly he went back over to Dan'yel and licked his cheek one last time. Going over to Sam he touched noses with her. She licked his muzzle and then rubbed her cheek against his. After a moment's hesitation Daniel switched places with the confused and miserable Jackson.
Back in his addled mind Daniel reached up and brushed the tears that Jackson has shed away. He looked down at Anuket in confusion, but seeing that she was still breathing he seemed to accept the situation. Dan'yel bravely walked up to him, but when he got no response he went to Jack. Jack knelt down and hugged Dan'yel tightly. He was shaking, but seemed to have no more tears to shed.
"It's not really over yet, is it?"
"No. I'm afraid it isn't."
"Wh…what if he dies?"
"Then you'll be stuck with me for a father."